The Kuchikukan
by SasuSakuisforalways
Summary: What would happen if a new order was formed? What if this order was given a very specific task, a task to eliminate one of Konoha's strongest clans? Sasu/Saku; Naru/Hina; Neji/Ten; Shika/Ino
1. Prologue

This is my first story with an actual plot line that I have planned out.

This is the prologue, so obviously, it will not tell you anything about the plot.

I will try to update every few weeks, but don't be surprised if update even the next day or if it takes me a month.

(If it takes me a month, I'm probably writing an incredibly good chapter, so be PATIENT!)

**Kuchikukan-destroyer**

Hope you enjoy!

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The room was dimly lit; only a few candles burned in the darkness. Takahiro sat at the end of the table, rolling a pen back and forth over his fingers. Also seated at the table were the members of the Kuchikukan. All were silent, waiting for the instructions of their master who had not yet sat down and was pacing back and forth over the cold marble tiles. Akio sat down, opening his mouth to speak.

"DADDY! There's a scary spider on the bookshelf!" Hanako called. Sasuke sighed and strode into the living room with a cup and a piece of paper.

"Alright, Hanako," he said letting the spider outside, "the scary spider is all gone now."

"Thank you Daddy!" The raven haired girl beamed, jumping into her father's arms.

Sakura strolled in, holding an armload of clean clothing. "Hanako, go get ready! Uncle Naruto and Aunt Hinata are taking you to the festival today."

"YAY!" Hanako shouted enthusiastically, disappearing up the stairs.

"I wonder what Naruto has planned for her. Hopefully he doesn't give her too much sugar…"

"There's no guarantee when you're talking about Naruto," Sakura sighed.

"I know."

"You should be getting ready for your meeting with the Hokage," Sakura added.

"Alright then," he said, standing up.

"I'll have breakfast ready when you're back down," she smiled. Sasuke smiled back, kissing her on the cheek.

"DADDY ! THERE'S A DEAD BUMBLE BEE IN THE BATHTUB!" Sasuke sighed and strode up the stairs, Sakura laughing below.

The Kuchikukan stood up; their meeting was over. Takahiro walked nervously to the doors and out into the hallway. Information gathering was one of the hardest tasks he knew. Being disguised as Katsumi, the task was not difficult to execute, but the feeling of being in the room with twenty other ninja who would certainly kill him if he was discovered was quite unnerving.

_I'm going to be late back to Konoha_, he thought. Oh well, I _imagine Tsunade will understand…_

_

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_Please submit reviews!


	2. Chapter 1

The doorbell rang.

"DADDY! It's Uncle Naruto!"

"Sasuke,"

"Naruto,"

"Hi Uncle Naruto!"

"Ah, Hanako. How's my favorite niece doing?"

"Mommy says you're going to take me to the festival!"

"We are. Aunt Hinata's outside; she has a present for you."

"REALLY!"

"Yes."

"Oh goodie!" Hanako exclaimed, sprinting out the door.

"Thanks for taking her," Sasuke began, "we'll most likely be out all day."

"That's fine. I hear you're meeting with Tsunade-sama; any particular reason?"

"I don't know yet, but she says it's important."

"Well, if you have to leave town, we can take care of her. She's always a pleasure."

"Thanks Naruto; I don't know what I'd do without you."

"It's no problem. Well we should probably head off."

"Hn. We shouldn't be too late."

"See you later!" Naruto said, heading out the door.

_Takahiro's late. This isn't like him_. Tsunade thought, staring out the window of the Hokage tower. _I wonder what's holding him up_. As Tsunade turned around, Sasuke and Sakura strode in.

"Tsunade-sama."

"Ah, Sasuke; you're here. I'm afraid Takahiro's late."

"Hn, why are we here?"

"I'm not even sure yet; that's why his absence worries me. I sent him out because he's always very timely. Kakashi would have been a different story…"

"I see."

"In any case," the Hokage began, "there's been a disruption at the northwestern border."

"The northwestern border; Grass or Sound?"

"Neither."

"What?"

"The shinobi was wearing this," Tsunade said, dropping a bloodstained headband onto the desk. The engraving was neither sound nor grass. The headband was unmistakably marked with the insignia of the Hidden Waterfall.

"I don't understand. The Hidden Waterfall Village hasn't posed war on us since—who knows how long," Sasuke began.

"The ANBU managed to capture one of the shinobi. Ibiki may be able to provide us with some information," Tsunade muttered, staring out the window. "I wonder what's holding Takahiro up…"

_Crap! Tsunade is going to kill me; she's understanding if it's an hour or two, but if I'm this late she'll never forgive me_, Takahiro thought as he approached the gates of Konoha. _At least I completed the mission…_

"Tsunade-sama!" Takahiro exclaimed, bursting through the doors of the Hokage's office.

"Takahiro, what held you up?" Tsunade asked.

"Apparently their leader was late, so they postponed the entire meeting until the next day. Sorry I'm so late," Takahiro replied.

"Well I'm glad to see you alive. Did you gain any information?"

"There's a new order called the Kuchikukan. They prove to be almost an equal threat to the Akatsuki, and they have only one goal. They're planning to eliminate the rest of the Uchiha clan."

Sasuke's face went pale. "When?"

"I don't know. They set another meeting to plan the rest out," Takahiro replied.

"…I'll have to eliminate them first then," Sasuke muttered.

"I'm going with you," Sakura proclaimed.

"No, Sakura. Stay in Konoha—"

"Sasuke! I'm going to fight alongside you! It's my clan too now!"

"Sakura, it's too dangerous. What about Hanako?"

"I'm sure Naruto would be willing to take care of her; she's the same as real family to him!" Sakura noted.

"Sakura…I can't lose you again," Sasuke pleaded, pulling Sakura into his arms. "You mean more to me than life itself; I can't lose you again…"

"Well I can't lose you either," she said. By this time, both Takahiro and Tsunade had left to discuss plans elsewhere, leaving Sakura and Sasuke alone. "If I go there's a better chance that both of us will survive. I am a medic."

Sasuke dropped down onto the tan leather loveseat, positioned on the wall beside the Hokage's desk. His ink black hair swept over his face as he tilted his chin down in thought. Silently, Sakura sat down beside him, tenderly caressing his cheeks with her fingertips. A tear rolled down his pale face, landing on her thumb. Her brow furrowed as she began to speak. "Sasuke, I love you too much to sit in Konoha and wait, never knowing whether or not you're still alive. If you died and I wasn't there to do anything, it'd rip my soul apart. I'm not going to watch from the sidelines."

"You're right," he said. "I think I may have realized another reason for loving you so much. It's not fair always being right, you know," he sighed.

"Hm," she breathed, leaning in to him. "I love you."

"I love you too. I love you more than words can say…" 

Akio paced aimlessly about the large, sparsely lit hall, contemplating the destruction of the most rumored clan of the Leaf Village. Depraved laughter approached his full lips, creating a murderous aura. The shinobi of the Hidden Waterfall Village would plunge into war with the Leaf, and then his regime would begin, ensnaring perhaps even the Wind's territory.

"It's not wise to be lurking about this place at one a. m., Katsuki," Akio sibilated.

"Master Akio, I'm sorry to disturb you; I wasn't expecting to run into anyone."

"Weren't you now?" Akio purred. "Neither was I, but it seems as though both of us have been deceived by our sixth senses." Akio was meticulous in adding accentuation in the derision of his censure. Akio's amusement tugged at his aura the paler Katsuki's face grew. Soon, he was trembling with sick merriment at the translucent skin of the chunin level shinobi. "You're weak, and I am no longer in need of your services," the jonin smirked.

Akio watched as thick, red blood streamed out of a deep wound in Katsuki's stomach.


	3. Chapter 2

"Takahiro, how may are there in the new order?" Tsunade asked.

"Anywhere from twenty to forty shinobi," he replied.

"FORTY!" Sakura shrieked."Isn't that a bit overkill?"

"Not for someone who's trying to eliminate the Leaf Village," Sasuke muttered.

"We don't even have enough shinobi to match their numbers…" Sakura murmured.

"Hopefully we won't need to," Takahiro began, "at least ninety percent of them are chunin."

"Still, that's a lot. I wonder how they even coordinated that many." Tsunade said. "Well, we'll have to form a team. Sasuke, you and Sakura I assume you both want to fight."

"Yes," Sasuke answered.

"We'll send Neji; he's not working on any missions right now, Kiba, Lee…"

"Naruto would want to help," Sasuke added.

"Yes, we can send him," Tsunade agreed, "not Hinata though. Forty ninja…hmmm."

"Tsunade-sama, there were only twenty five at the meeting—" Takahiro began.

"Yes, but we must assume the worst as far as that goes. How on Earth did they get so many shinobi to join…it seems impossible."

"It probably is," Sasuke answered.

"We'll have no choice but to send the Anbu," Tsunade whispered. "The meeting has commenced. I'll decide what to do tonight, so return tomorrow."

"Hn."

"Hai."

_I can't send all of the shinobi in the leaf, but we're up against so many from the Hidden Waterfall, _Tsunade thought. They've _forced us up against a wall with the first target as the Uchiha clan_. _Testing the strength of the leaf first…not a bad strategy, but it seems they are weaker than I had first anticipated…That's at least a good sign. _

"Naruto, don't give her any more sugar! Good grief," Hinata criticized. "Sasuke and Sakura aren't going to be happy if Hanako is up all night."

"Come now, Hinata. What's a little sugar going to do?"

"Naruto."

"Yeah, yeah…I get it, alright."

"Hanako, would you like to go see the play?" Hinata asked.

"Yeah! That sounds fun! Come on Uncle Naruto!"

"Sakura, since we're back early, would you like to go to the cherry blossom festival?" Sasuke asked. Sakura smiled, remembering the first time they had gone to the festival together. That was the day he had returned to Konoha. Still remembering the beauty of the blooms that year, she floated in through the front door and into the kitchen.

"How about we go in an hour?" She asked.

"Sure; Naruto and Hinata will be with Hanako until ten."

"Do you still remember that day?" Sakura asked.

"It was the day that my life began," Sasuke answered. "Somethimes I wonder what it would have been like if I hadn't returned."

"I don't want to think about it; it would have been awful."

"Well, I'm with you for the rest of my life. I'm glad of that."

"Me too."


	4. Chapter 3

Roughly sanded planks splintered at the steps of the dark haired, blank faced jonin. Halfway across the bridge, he came to halt and leaned up against the faded red railing. Clouds heavy with rain hung in the low sky. A fat drop of water landed on his head, cold and wet. Soon, the rain was pouring down in sheets, blanketing the village of Konoha and the rest of the land of fire.

Neji's clothing was fully soaked through when Tenten's wistful voice drifted to his ears. "Neji, please come in, you're getting all wet." The jonin made no signs of leaving; his head tilted forward as he gazed into the glassy ripples of the stream. Tenten marched into the rain and over to his side. "Please come in; this isn't any good for you." When he didn't move, she tilted his face up to her, catching his eyes. They were cold, white and held absolutely no emotion; this was always the way they looked when he was remembering that day. She sighed and laid her head down against his shoulder. "Neji…"

Finally, he straightened up, stretching six foot five and a half, and allowed Tenten to lead him back into the dry, warm house.

The floorboards creaked under the pacing of a restless Tsunade. Shizune sat, watching the Hokage who was chewing on the end of a metallic blue pen. _Forty shinobi, huh… _

"Tsunade-sama—"

"Not now; I'm thinking…" Shizune fell silent.

As the minutes ticked away, Shizune herself grew restless and walked out of the spacious office into the dim hallways.

The streets of Konoha were dark at night, but there were still a few lights on. Shizune watched as the shadows of midnight dwellers danced across the streets; a dark puppet show. The lamps of Tsunade's favorite bar were still lit, but by the time the Hokage would create a plan, it would already be nine the next morning.

The Hokage's thoughts strayed to the only remaining sanin as she drained the last of the bottle of sake and set it back down on the cluttered desktop. Jiraya had left Konoha not three weeks earlier on a visit to an old friend in the land of grass.

Struggling to compose some form of an arrangement, she dropped back down into her desk chair and let her head fall back. There, she waited for an idea to come to her while attempting to make the patterns on the ceiling appear to reverse themselves.

Sasuke was still slouched on the sofa, staring at the wall when Sakura walked back down the stairs, a sign that either his pride wasn't yet present or that he actually couldn't move. Sakura settled for the second, seeming that is was more probable, and knelt down on the floor beside him to check for injuries. "You really shouldn't do this to yourself," she murmured, beginning to heal the numerous damages he had received while training. "Can't you take a break sometime?"

"No," he answered. She sighed, staring into his tired, black eyes.

"Could you at least stop using so many self sacrificial jutsus then? You're getting really out of hand."

"Hn."

"Thank you," she whispered. "I just don't like seeing you all torn up, you know." Sakura finished with the last of the damage and settled down beside him, draping her arms over her shoulder. A small yawn escaped her lips as drowsiness swept over her.

Scooping her up, Sasuke ascended the stairs, Sakura halfheartedly tsking him for not waiting until his muscles had fully recovered. He laughed lightly and walked into the bedroom, setting her down on the bed and lying down beside her. "Night," he whispered.

"Goodnight, Sasuke-kun."

The next morning came abruptly, bringing with it sunshine after a long night of rainfall and cloud cover. A dead-beat Tsunade lifted a list of Leaf shinobi off the desk.

Uzamaki, Naruto

Hatake, Kakashi

Hyuga, Neji

Hyuga, Tenten

Nara, Shikamaru

Nara, Ino

Uchiha, Sasuke

Uchiha, Sakura

Akimichi, Choji

Sai

Rock, Lee

_Eleven shinobi should be enough for now, considering they're all jonin or ANBU_, she thought.


	5. Chapter 4

Roughly sanded planks splintered at the steps of the dark haired, blank faced jonin. Halfway across the bridge, he came to halt and leaned up against the faded red railing. Clouds heavy with rain hung in the low sky. A fat drop of water landed on his head, cold and wet. Soon, the rain was pouring down in sheets, blanketing the village of Konoha and the rest of the land of fire.

Neji's clothing was fully soaked through when Tenten's wistful voice drifted to his ears. "Neji, please come in, you're getting all wet." The jonin made no signs of leaving; his head tilted forward as he gazed into the glassy ripples of the stream. Tenten marched into the rain and over to his side. "Please come in; this isn't any good for you." When he didn't move, she tilted his face up to her, catching his eyes. They were cold, white and held absolutely no emotion; this was always the way they looked when he was remembering that day. She sighed and laid her head down against his shoulder. "Neji…"

Finally, he straightened up, stretching six foot five and a half, and allowed Tenten to lead him back into the dry, warm house.

The floorboards creaked under the pacing of a restless Tsunade. Shizune sat, watching the Hokage who was chewing on the end of a metallic blue pen. _Forty shinobi, huh… _

"Tsunade-sama—"

"Not now; I'm thinking…" Shizune fell silent.

As the minutes ticked away, Shizune herself grew restless and walked out of the spacious office into the dim hallways.

The streets of Konoha were dark at night, but there were still a few lights on. Shizune watched as the shadows of midnight dwellers danced across the streets; a dark puppet show. The lamps of Tsunade's favorite bar were still lit, but by the time the Hokage would create a plan, it would already be nine the next morning.

The Hokage's thoughts strayed to the only remaining sanin as she drained the last of the bottle of sake and set it back down on the cluttered desktop. Jiraya had left Konoha not three weeks earlier on a visit to an old friend in the land of grass.

Struggling to compose some form of an arrangement, she dropped back down into her desk chair and let her head fall back. There, she waited for an idea to come to her while attempting to make the patterns on the ceiling appear to reverse themselves.

Sasuke was still slouched on the sofa, staring at the wall when Sakura walked back down the stairs, a sign that either his pride wasn't yet present or that he actually couldn't move. Sakura settled for the second, seeming that is was more probable, and knelt down on the floor beside him to check for injuries. "You really shouldn't do this to yourself," she murmured, beginning to heal the numerous damages he had received while training. "Can't you take a break sometime?"

"No," he answered. She sighed, staring into his tired, black eyes.

"Could you at least stop using so many self sacrificial jutsus then? You're getting really out of hand."

"Hn."

"Thank you," she whispered. "I just don't like seeing you all torn up, you know." Sakura finished with the last of the damage and settled down beside him, draping her arms over her shoulder. A small yawn escaped her lips as drowsiness swept over her.

Scooping her up, Sasuke ascended the stairs, Sakura halfheartedly tsking him for not waiting until his muscles had fully recovered. He laughed lightly and walked into the bedroom, setting her down on the bed and lying down beside her. "Night," he whispered.

"Goodnight, Sasuke-kun."

The next morning came abruptly, bringing with it sunshine after a long night of rainfall and cloud cover. A dead-beat Tsunade lifted a list of Leaf shinobi off the desk.

Uzamaki, Naruto

Hatake, Kakashi

Hyuga, Neji

Hyuga, Tenten

Nara, Shikamaru

Nara, Ino

Uchiha, Sasuke

Uchiha, Sakura

Akimichi, Choji

Sai

Rock, Lee

_Eleven shinobi should be enough for now, considering they're all jonin or ANBU_, she thought.


	6. Chapter 5

"Naruto-kun," she sighed, offering the ANBU her hand, "why is it that you always push yourself too far?"

"You've heard about my new mission, haven't you?" He answered.

"I have… do you really have to leave," she murmured.

"Afraid so," he answered. "Konoha is in the shadow of an army of ninja as we speak. I wonder how Sasuke is dealing with being their first target…"

"You had better come back alive, Uzamaki Naruto."

"I promise."

Tsunade paced restlessly around the spacious main office of the Hokage tower. _Five Anbu, six jonin…will it really be enough to overwhelm forty? _She sighed and sank down onto the chair behind the desk_. I suppose we do know their target, and we have one of the most brilliant minds I've seen in my days._ She was, of course, referring to Shikamaru who, at age fourteen, had possessed an IQ of three-eighty-five, a shockingly thorough mind. And their first target was the barely revived Uchiha clan, three in all. It seemed to her that Konoha would most definitely go to war should their force not immediately dissolve the alarmingly powerful group of who knows how capable ninja.

The last rays of sun bounced off the blue stone hanging from the neck of the ANBU. Glancing down at it, he remembered the day that the necklace had been given to him.

_"If you can master the Rasengan in a week, I will believe you have what it takes to become the Hokage and give you this necklace…"_

Lifting his eyes to meet the nearly white pair in front of him, the memory of the Hokage's words faded back into the rippling mass of unattended thoughts that swelled mercilessly around under his skull. A memory of his old team seven came into mind as he took her hand and continued the walk up to the fairly new house on the Hyuuga compound. Hanako was chasing butterflies around the flower garden when the two swung open the wrought iron gate that unfolded onto the paved walk, leading up to the modern front door. Monarchs and swallowtails followed the raven haired, giggling girl into the front yard as she skipped towards the pair she called Uncle and Auntie. Naruto, who was still leaning on Hinata from soreness, forced a painful, but convincing smile to his face.

"Uncle Naruto, look!" The young Uchiha grinned, holding up her index finger. A blue dragonfly had landed on the smooth surface of her nail. Naruto laughed, feeling a sharp pain arise in his ribs."What's wrong with Uncle Naruto?" She inquired worriedly.

"He'll be fine in the morning," Hinata answered," he's just been training a bit too harshly, and his muscles need more time to recover." The sentence still bore the heiresses customary gentle tone, but the end of the sentence had been slowed down, implying directly to Naruto that she, though appearing to be understanding, was not at all pleased with his masochistic training methods. "But really," she began again when Hanako was skipping around again, enjoying the pink sunset, "resting is training too. And you have a mission tomorrow." She sighed. "I worry about you. It always seems like my last day with you before you go on missions; I really can't tell if you're going to come back alive."

"I always do."

"I know you do, and you have a stunning recovery rate, but I hardly get to spend any time with you anymore. I always worry that it may be the last time I see your face." He sighed and lifted her chin up with his finger tip.

"I can't die until I become the Hokage," he replied, gazing into her eyes. "It's a promise I made long ago, and it's one that I intend to keep. Believe it." Hinata beamed at the widely recognized words of the Leaf villages number one unpredictable ninja, recalling the numerous times she had heard them before.

"I don't think I'll ever be quite satisfied with that, but I do trust that you'll return to me alive. For now, that is enough for me," she returned. "By the way, whatever were you doing that used up so much chakra?"

"Water dragon jutsu," he answered. "Sakura's taken on water type jutsus now, so she taught me one."

"You're always busy, aren't you," she mused, half attentively.

"Most of the time," he replied, stepping through the front door. Hinata led him to the couch where she gently shrugged him off her shoulder onto the satin cushions and disappeared into the kitchen. He winced at the pain growing in his side, but soon the gorgeous Hyuuga reappeared. Being an heiress, she had kept her title when she married him, and furthermore since his family was nonexistent anyhow, he had inherited the name as well. Hinata regarded him by his former last name when scorning or cautioning him; it was a habit she had adopted many years before when they had first been dating, and it simply stuck. He doubted she would ever shake it off, but he didn't mind it anyhow.

Hinata reappeared at his side holding a bottle of what appeared to be pills. "Here," she said, offering one to him. "Sakura formulated them a few months ago, because Sasuke over trained and stressed his muscles. It'll make the pain stop, and you'll heal faster too." He took it, raised it to his mouth, and swallowed it. A few seconds later, he began to feel the aching in his gut recede, and only minutes later, the pain had completely gone. He smiled up at her and then got to his feet to ascend the staircase. Halfway through the hallway he swayed a little and was steadied by Hinata's gentle but unbelievably strong hands. She sighed, looking into his half alert eyes and balanced most of his weight over her left shoulder while half dragging him up the staircase. Tomorrow, he would leave for his mission, and he needed all the rest he could get.


	7. Chapter 6

Akio bore the face of an assassin as he stalked back into the common room. An hour ago, he had set Katsuki's corpse on fire to destroy the remains and hide the evidence. The Kuchikukan's numbers had declined by one, but there were still thirty-eight, enough to destroy the hopes of the Leaf.

Sasuke paced nervously around the living room. Hanako was in Hinata's care now, and his only focus was the mission.

"Sasuke, you've been pacing like that for hours, and the sun's already set," Sakura remarked. He seated himself next to her and gently brushed a stand of pink hair out of the way of her lovely green eyes.

"I can't help it, Sakura. Konoha is up against at lest thirty ninja that are out to destroy us and then the rest of our village. It doesn't make any sense. Why would someone want so strongly to destroy the Uchiha clan? It's just not fitting…I still wish that you'd stay behind." She sighed and shook her head. "I know that you won't; I've given up on convincing you. I wish there was some other way."

"What else can we do? I'm not standing back and watching our friends get killed to save us."

"Nor am I, but I wish there was some way we could plot around them for a while; there just doesn't seem to be a chance for any of us. Even tough it isn't possible that the entire Kuchikukan is made up of jonin or higher, I simply can't believe that we have much a chance at winning this battle, and the stakes would be too high if we were to risk it and send more shinobi than we already are." Sakura noticed that this was one of the longest conversations she had ever had with Sasuke, and let him talk without interrupting for several minutes. "If we die, the team loses and all of Konoha with it. If they die, it's an extreme loss of the Waterfall which will undoubtedly begin a war and then who knows what. There isn't any way to prevent this. We can't even ask for the help of the Sand, because among their allies is the Waterfall. This seems more and more hopeless by the minute."

"It'll all work out somehow; I promise." Sasuke sighed, letting his raven colored hair fall back over his eyes and masking the rest of his face in shadow.

"I seriously doubt it. If any of my team mates die I will hold it personally on myself."

"Don't say that! None of this is anything you can control! It's not your fault that they're against us. I have a theory…"

"Hn?"

"Do you think it's possible that an avenger of Orochimaru planned this?"

"I highly doubt that it's the case, but it's not all together impossible. Why they would have waited so long I can't say; if they wanted to kill me why bother building up a force so large and waiting so long to strike. I definitely feel that there is another purpose of this organization, but that may be a part of it. Whoever it may be is planning to go to war with Konoha; why is what I don't understand. The Fire lands have never necessarily been on a friendly basis with the waterfall, but we haven't given them any reason to pose such sudden threats. It is possible that at the top of this, there's a power thirsty leader looking to control the ninja world, but I don't even see how that reasoning would be possible. Quite frankly their leader isn't a complete screw up, because so far their movements have remained all but undetected, though I'm positive they're already in the outskirts of Fire territory," he devised.

"Well, whoever is controlling them has got some power over their heads. I'm sure that there are some in the organization that have no intention of following his orders, which leads me to believe that if we can get to him first, we may eliminate some of the problem," she contemplated, looking over to Sasuke. She knew that over the course of his life he had undoubtedly faced many problems that required extreme planning and thought, but she had never seen him so bothered before. _Maybe he really does worry about me this much_, she thought. She'd always known Sasuke to be a somewhat emotionless person, but there were times—a very limited few—when his inner self would peek its head out form behind the corner and startle her. For instance, there was the time in the cherry blossom grove when he had turned against the sound to save her. Those were the times when he had revealed his inner. She missed seeing that side of him.

"Yes, that's most likely the case, but I doubt the mastermind will show themself until we've taken enough of a blow to eliminate the threat we pose to them."

"Didn't Takahiro say that there was a particular man who was holding the meeting?"

"Yes, but even so, it's impossible to devise that this person was the real mind behind at all, and even if he was, we know neither his name nor his face, so there's no way to find him anyway. The best we can hope for is another few pieces of information before we come face to face with the organization in battle. There's no doubt that Shikamaru is already putting in quite some though as we speak, but I don't think he has any more information than we do, so we'll have to play it low for the first week and see where that gets us.

"It's late; you need sleep."

"So do you," she retorted.

"Hn," he replied, moving towards the staircase.

"Sasuke…" he turned around to face her."Is there any hope for us?"

"Who's to say there's not?" he asked, the serious expression disappearing from his face. She remembered her thoughts of only moments before; his inner had returned.

"I just can't help thinking that there's never going to be a way that we'll make it out of this alive."

"There is really no telling, but for tonight, we are alive," he said, taking her hands in his. Her expression was that of the one she had worn the day he had returned. So much happiness filled her eyes, but he could tell that the sorrow and fear was lurking within them too; somewhere deep down was where she had shoved all the hopelessness and agony that she couldn't bear, and he knew that it was no good if it stayed bottled up inside her. "Sakura, tell me everything that's causing you pain right now; I can see it in your eyes." Her eyes widened; she wanted to tell him but didn't want him to suffer worrying about the things that were bothering her. He was the same way that she was; when he felt any pain, he immediately reacted as if nothing was bothering him. Because his mood was never truly cheerful anyway, you could never tell if there was something that was bothering him.

"Well, it doesn't make any sense to me either; the whole Kuchikukan. Like you said, it doesn't fit. I worry about Hanako. What will happen if we don't win, if we don't survive?" Sakura broke off crying. Tears washed down her pale cheeks. As Sasuke watched, he felt a wave of pain sweep over him; she was so troubled. "She'll either be killed or have to live parentless like you did," Sakura broke off again, and buried her face in her hands. Sasuke watched, frozen in horror. He never wanted Sakura to have to feel this kind of pain, and all he could do momentarily was watch as the last of her hope faded away into nonexistence. "I also worry about all the others, Naruto, Shikamaru, Neji…they're in the same position we are," her voice rang. Sasuke's face was somber as he spoke.

"That's what being a shinobi is, but I believe that we can and will defeat these sadistic creeps." She smiled halfheartedly, but tears continued running down her cheeks.

"God, I don't want to lose you Sasuke…not again…not ever!" She sobbed. His arms threaded around her waist and pulled her up against him. She cried, tears running down her cheeks and onto the white cotton sleeve of his shirt. "I can't lose you again," she wept, clinging to him. He felt her hands were icy against the exposed skin above his heart. He pulled her in tighter, hoping that she would take some comfort in it. When her sobbing only increased, he cupped her face with his palm and caught her gaze. Gently, he pressed his lips down on hers and felt as she exhaled, her breath sweet on his tongue. She felt his steady, comforting heartbeat underneath her right palm. His skin was warm and soft, his kiss sweet and passionate.

The first time he had kissed her, it was in the cherry blossom meadow almost immediately after he had fought off the sound ninja. His outer self had been completely driven away. All of his legendary pride had disappeared, tears streaming down his cheeks. His quiet solitude had gone, and words swept out of his lips at an alarming pace. His cold, spiteful, avenging demeanor had melted into a loving, sweet, innocent, gentle, warm, passionate being which she doubted anyone besides herself had ever seen. She had seen in his onyx eyes that he did have the capability to feel so strongly for someone. She had seen how over the years he had rejected love and everything to do with it, and finally, all at once, he had revealed all of his inner truths, all of the fragments of his beautiful soul that had never been touched, all of everything that made up the Sasuke she had once known and loved; she still loved him: in spite of everything he had done, all the pain he had caused her, every time that he refused her love, she loved him with all of her heart, because he was always the one for her; there was never a moment in her life when he wasn't the one that she hoped she would be with forever.

Remembering all this made fresh tears spring to her eyes, because no matter how close she had gotten to him, even now having been married nine years, she had never felt that the wound of his leaving had ever healed; it remained an open cut in her heart that was constantly being nurtured but never healed. She wept into his shoulder and tried to remember that one time that she had finally felt whole again.


	8. Chapter 7

Sasuke awoke as the first beams of light peaked in through the windowsill, drenching the floor in warm sun. Sakura stirred at his sudden movement, eyelids fluttering open. Pushing aside the covers, she stood up and ran her fingers through her messy pink hair. Sasuke slid off the bed and looked out through the window at the rising sun, letting the light illuminate the dark circles under his eyes. _He must not have slept at all_, she thought, heading towards the shower. She stopped in front of the mirror to comb out her hair before getting in; the only thing worse than tangled hair was wet, tangled hair.

Stepping out of the shower, Sakura grabbed a towel, dried her hair, threw on her bathrobe, and headed back into the bedroom. Sasuke, impatient as he was, had walked off down the hall and taken a shower in the guest bathroom. He was half dressed, and water was still dripping from his jet black hair. Cautiously, she danced her way through the mess of scrolls, books, and dishes sprawled over the floor; a confirmation that Sasuke had spent at least half the night out of bed. She sighed as she pulled her ANBU vest over the plain black tee shirt and zipped it up. Sasuke was silent for the longest time, but finally he spoke.

"Sorry about the mess," he apologized, seeing the look of distaste on her face when she had unsuccessfully tried to reach the door. She snorted and faced him, shaking her head.

"I don't see how it's even possible to create that much of a hazard in less than six hours," she sighed. Sasuke was usually a very neat person, but he had his days. In the center of an enormous wall of stacked books and open scrolls was a very clearly defined patch of white carpet, most likely the place where he had been sitting. She looked over to the bed; the covers had been carelessly thrown aside, and the duvet was hanging off onto the floor along with the red bed sheets.

The bedside lamp had been stuck to the underside of the desk. Sasuke was notorious for studying late at night; therefore, he had invented a means of which to do so and not wake Sakura in the act. Six months ago, he had returned home with s roll of Velcro and had stuck it to the bottom of the lamp and to the underside of the desk. Sakura did not yet completely understand his reasoning, but she had never woken up, so she didn't complain.

Returning to help her up, Sasuke glided over and around the minefield of study materials to her side. Seeing no point in letting her suffer any longer, he scooped her up and carried her, footsteps flawless as he walked through the room and out the door.

Hinata shuffled as Naruto, trying to avoid waking her, gently pushed aside the bedspread and stood up. His attempts were useless, as usual, and the dark haired heiress awoke. She yawned and then opened her eyes, smiling at him.

"Morning," she chimed.

"Sorry I woke you up," he began "I tried to avoid it—"

"You go get ready," she interrupted. "I'll have breakfast ready for you when you're out."

"Thanks Hinata," he replied, strolling towards the closet.

After getting dressed in his usual ANBU attire, he neatly made the bed and left for the kitchen. The smell of eggs and bacon was drifting down the hall. It reached Naruto's nose, irresistible, mouthwatering. When the kitchen came into view, Naruto could see Hinata turning over strips of bubbling bacon on the griddle. Hanako was seated at the glass breakfast table, drinking a glass of chocolate milk while she waited for Hinata to finish the cheese omelet. Hinata was incredibly talented in the culinary arts and had three omelets plus the bacon all cooking at once. He watched as she skillfully flipped one of the omelets while shifting the bacon onto a plate with the pair of tongs in her left hand. While flipping the remaining two omelets, she reached into the cupboard overhead and retrieved three plates. She slid the cooked omelets onto the dishes, divided up the bacon, and then headed to the table; all three plates resting on one arm, the pitcher of orange juice firmly gripped in her other hand.

Hanako's eyes were wide on the plate in Hinata's hand.

"Well, it looks like someone is hungry," he stated, sitting down opposite Hinata. Hanako went for one of the carrot sticks first. "Be careful, Hanako."

"Hm."

"It's a vegetable!" He proclaimed.

"Stop filling her head with brainless nonsense!" Hinata scorned, "just because you've never eaten a vegetable in your life doesn't mean that you have to convert the entire human race to 'ramenaniacs'. Good grief."

"Hey!" He retorted, "I've eaten veggies! Plenty of them! I still eat them!"

"Only when they're in ramen."

"That's not true…"

"It is too!" Hinata argued. "You never get proper nutrition! I worry about you …" Naruto sighed and picked up a celery stick, admitting defeat.

"If I die I get food poisoning—"

"Oh just eat it already!" Hinata barked. She laughed at the look on Naruto's face as the celery entered his mouth. It was twisted, horrorstruck, and reluctant.

"You know," he began, "this really isn't all that bad." As he said this, Hanako erupted into a fit of giggles. Naruto smiled and laughed too. The young Uchiha's face was really quite beautiful, especially when she laughed. Her jaw was slim and her cheeks high set, leaning towards her father's characteristics; her cheeks were rosy though, and her eyes were wide, green, and deep just like Sakura. Naruto was surprised that she didn't have Sakura's pink hair too, but black suited her perfectly well.

"What would you like to do today, Hanako?" Hinata asked.

"Hmm…" Hanako thought. "I want to do some training. Can you teach me a new jutsu, oba-san?"

"You're just like your father, you know," Hinata mused.

"Kaza says that a lot!" She replied.

"It's very true. You know, I remember your doza when he was only thirteen," Hinata began.

"Really?" Hanako inquired excitedly.

"Wait, hasn't Naruto told you anything about him from when they were younger?"

"He has, but I want to hear what you know!"

"He was very stubborn and he was always learning new jutsus," she started.

"That sounds like doza," Hanako answered. "Did he like kaza then?"

"I think he did, but he always called her annoying. Well, back then he called everything annoying—"

Naruto interrupted her."He's still a snobbish, conceited teme—"

"Naruto! What did I say about using that word around Hanako?!"

"Sorry; go on," he muttered.

"Sasuke didn't like anything sweet."

"He still doesn't," Hanako chimed. "That's why on his birthday kaza gets him a tomato plant instead."

"Yes, I suppose he did like tomatoes. Lets see…the only thing that ever came out of his mouth was 'hn', and he never addresses anyone with honorifics."

"Really?" Hanako asked, wide eyed.

"Really," Hinata replied. "You want to know something else?"

"Ooh! Tell me! Tell me!" She chanted, jumping up and down in her seat.

"He and your uncle Naruto were constantly competing with each other, because they both have a childish obsession with winning," Hinata smiled. Hanako burst out laughing again.

"Well, I have to get going," Naruto said. "Wouldn't want to be late for my mission today."

"Uncle Naruto, when are you kaza, and doza going to be back?" Hanako asked.

"Eh, it won't be long…" Naruto replied.

"When you come home, will you tell me all about it?!"

"Sure, I don't see why not," he answered.

Hinata and Hanako walked Naruto to the door.

"Hinata, why don't you go get ready for training," Hinata suggested.

"Okay!" she beamed, hugging Naruto around the waist, "see you later, oji-san!" Naruto focused in on the Uchiha crest on the back of her white night gown as she sprinted though the living room. Once she disappeared down the hallway, Hinata began speaking.

"Be careful, Naruto-kun."

"Don't worry, we're gonna kick these Kuchikukan's A-rank butts off the face of the Earth, come home, and everything will be normal again."

"Please don't jump into things too fast; I don't want you to die—"

"I absolutely cannot die until I become the Hokage." She smiled at this and kissed him gently on the lips.

"I love you, Naruto-kun," she sighed. "You are the most unpredictable, strange, vegetable hating, procrastinating, crazy talented ninja I have ever met, and I love you."

"I love you too, Hinata. I promise I'll come back alive."

"You had better…"

"I will. I love you."

"I love you too." 

"Well, now that we're all here," Shikamaru began," I have the beginnings of a plan. We'll travel in three three man squads and one two man squad. The main three groups will set out in three different routes towards the fire waterfall boundary. The two man squad will go around back. Got it?" Everyone nodded. "Good. The groups are essential to the plan though. Ino, Choji, and I are the first group. Tenten, you, Neji, and Lee are the second group. Naruto, Kakashi, and Sai will be the third; that leaves the two Uchihas. The three man groups are to travel as inconspicuously as is possible. Sasuke, I want you and Sakura to run into them while we're watching to gauge their reaction; we'll be waiting to ensure that nothing happens to either of you. If all goes well, they'll take you hostage and then we'll follow them back to their current headquarters. Whatever you do, don't show them all of your abilities. Sasuke, that means no Mangenkyo or Amaterasu. Sakura, don't show them any of your medic abilities if you can help it. We're trying to get them to use as minimal protection as possible. From that point, we'll send Kakashi in to gain more information and then he'll release you if you need any help. If we're lucky while Kakashi is investigating, we'll find someone who opposes to this, and we may even be able to persuade them to give us information. We'll go from there." Everyone agreed. "Alright; let's do this."


	9. Chapter 8

The wind pricked Naruto's face like thousands of tiny needles as the squad three made their way through the forest. Nothing seemed suspicious, but Naruto was accustomed to reading far further into the smallest rustle of leaves than most of shinobi of Konoha. Naruto could feel the results of a horrible lack of sleep. Nonetheless, the young, blonde shinobi was unnaturally alert.

A glint on the wood below him snagged Naruto's over-sensitive eyes, and it was only a fraction of a second before he had fully registered and processed its purpose. Unfortunately, Sai and Kakashi had not caught sight of the ninja thread. Naruto's weapon mastery didn't even fall within the same league as Tenten's, but he had sufficient aim. His eyes fell unblinking to the clash of kunai, watching as each of his own met its opposing shuriken.

Glancing down in the direction the shuriken had come from, Naruto spotted the refracted, rippling image of a paintbrush sliding down into the shallow water. It only looked to be a few feet deep; his only concern was the three Waterfall ninja traveling quickly towards the two entangled members of his squad. Hundreds more shuriken glided through the air, aimed directly for Kakashi and Sai. _Tiger. Snake. Tiger. _"Suiton: Suijinheki!" Water from the shallow pool molded itself into a shield that encircled all three moments before Sai and Kakashi broke through the thread. With a small nod of approval, Kakashi began the hand seals for the Water Dragon Bullet.

Five Waterfall shinobi lay unconscious at Sai's feet.

"That went too well," Kakashi murmured. Naruto took on the same mindset, muttering to himself for a moment. "But there doesn't seem to be any danger."

"And what do we do with them?" Naruto inquired. Kakashi thought a moment, eyes flitting back and forth at the surroundings.

"Well, they attacked in Fire Territory," Kakashi noted "so I guess they're ours to do what we please with. Bind them; we'll bring them with us."

"All five?"

"Kakashi, if we carry five waterfall ninja around, somebody's going to get suspicious. Furthermore, if we were attacked, we'd be far more vulnerable," Sai remarked.

"We can't have them wandering around, and we have no sense of what their abilities are—" Kakashi was interrupted mid sentence by an aggravated Sai.

"If we take them into Waterfall we're an immediate target. This is our ground. I think it's best to tie them up and leave them. If we need to, we can come back for them—"

"Sai's right," Naruto began "we can take the headbands, leave a paper bomb, and threaten any other freaks that get in our way with the lives of five shinobi."

"We have no idea what their abilities are," Kakashi repeated. "If we leave them behind there's a chance that they'll attack us. This is what they're waiting for."

"It shouldn't matter if we use a couple of seals on them," the blonde ninja retorted. "They seem week enough anyway."

"I still don't like it," Kakashi muttered. Naruto hadn't said anything, but he had sensed for a while that Kakashi didn't seem quite like himself. The new shinobi's transformation jutsu had no flaws, but the Naruto had sensed the difference in the level of skill and chakra. It was also unlike Sai to drop one of his paintbrushes. Naruto took a glance down at the bound bodies lying next to the edge of the water. All were waterfall ninja. At least at first glance, they appeared to be. It struck Naruto as odd that either of them would transform into a Waterfall ninja in such a situation; no: All of the bound shinobi were Waterfall. Naruto did not doubt this.

The ninja thread had caught his eye. Seconds later, he glimpsed Sai and Kakashi bound to a tree with hundreds of shuriken flying at them. _Why use so many shuriken; one or two would be sufficient_…_shadow shuriken… _The intended goal of the waterfall shinobi was infiltration. Doing so by using a transformation jutsu was as basic as one could get, but Naruto had no evidence of any other strategy. Shadow Possession jutsu belonged to Shikamaru's clan, and the Mind Destruction jutsu was of the Yamanaka clan. These ninja were, by no means, skilled in any measure.

Few options faced the blonde Konoha shinobi. Option one: Fight the imposters, tie them up, and track down another team from Konoha. Option two: Go along with the waterfall shinobi and pretend not to notice. Option three: Fight the shinobi, tie them up, and find Sai and Kakashi. All plans seemed to have innumerable downfalls, but his job was to infiltrate the waterfall. Begrudgingly, Naruto decided to go with plan two; if this was the potential of the waterfall ninja, Sai and Kakashi wouldn't even have to raise a finger to escape.

Sakura hadn't noticed anything suspicious, but something about the setting still unnerved her. Sasuke ran along beside her, scanning the area with his careful eyes. Looking over at her husband, Sakura noticed another unnerving detail: Sasuke, king of detatched emotions, wearing his mind upon his face.

Tenten took one glance at Neji and immediately knew that whatever they had expected was nothing compared to what they were about to face.

"What is it?" Neji detected the anxiety in Tenten's voice. He did not answer. "Neji, what is it?" She asked again. Again, he gave her no answer.

"Answer her!" Lee shouted in an exasperated tone. Neji looked over at Lee who gave him a nasty look. Neji turned back to face Tenten. When he spoke, his words were harsh, soft, and cold.

"There are at least sixty ninja less than five miles from this point."

"What?" Tenten asked.

"There are at least sixty ninja waiting to kick our butts from here back into the leaf village." Tenten gawked at him as if he was sprouting bright green horns form the top of his head like some sort of an emo unicorn.

"Sixty?" Lee shouted. "What are we doing traveling into their territory? It's sixty against eleven at most!"

"Lee, you need to trust me," Neji murmured.

"Oh yes, trust you! Of course. All we have to do is trust in each other. We don't need ninjutsu or protection, and we definitely do not even need the slightest beginnings of strategy. I don't think it would be a good idea to check up on the others eith—"

"Lee! Shut up!" Neji screamed. "You have to trust that I know what I'm doing."

"Yes well, you can't know what you're doing all the time. I mean—"

"Yes! But this time I am absolutely positive that we need to get to them as quickly as possible!"

"How do you know?" Lee inquired.

"Lee," Tenten began. Neji shot her a glance, explaining with his eyes the situation. Tenten gave the slightest nod to show she understood, but she continued with her question. "Is something…wrong?"

Naruto shivered in the damp dungeon. His hands and feet were bound with ninja thread, and he was gagged by a piece of fowl tasting fabric. A pile of rotting bones lie in the corner, gathering dust with maggots crawling through the remnants of torn, bloody, rotting flesh still connected by the ligaments. Sight of this plus the indescribable odor made bile rise in the back of the blonde ANBU's throat. It was then that he noticed the still, cold figure lying beside him; Hinata. Panic arose in his mind, thoughts overflowing.

Soft footfalls began at the end of the long hall. Naruto immediately recognized the man. He had long silver hair that was tied back at the nape of his neck. His grey eyes gleamed beneath the reflective glass

"Uzamaki Naruto, you answer every question I ask. If you so choose not to answer, the girl and your friends' child will both die. So, where shall we begin?"

"You're not going to get anywhere!" Naruto informed Orochimaru's former assistant. Kabuto laughed.

"I have ways of making you answer, Uzamaki. I was trained by the best," Kabuto hissed through his teeth. "What would eleven leaf ninja be doing in waterfall territory?" Naruto fell silent. "Answer me Uzamaki!" he screamed, holding a kunai up to Hinata's throat. "Answer me now!"

"Hunting for you, you sadistic bastard!" Naruto spat. "You're little army is pathetic though."

"Obviously they are stronger than they look. Would you care to disagree with me? It may just cost you her life…" Naruto opened his mouth to shoot an insult at Kabuto but quickly shut it as the words sank in. His eyes grew wide with terror.

"Don't hurt her!" Naruto shouted. "Kill me instead. I'm the one you want!"

"So naïve," Kabuto whispered. "But then, so were you're other friends…" he hissed, looking across the hall. Naruto saw them: Kakashi and Sai were both lying limp, hands and feet bound. Naruto felt a lump rising in his throat.

"Please, don't hurt them!"

"Then you'll answer me dobe!" Kabuto laughed. Naruto flinched at the nickname, remembering its creator_. Sasuke would know what to do right now; he had known Kabuto. Sasuke was still stronger. After all these years, Sasuke had remained the stronger. _Thinking of his best friend, he glimpsed back the tiniest phrase of advice.

"_Naruto, if you ever have a run in with Kabuto, don't let him use your weakness against you." _

"_How?"_

"_Kabuto can easily pretend to have his hands on more than he really does…"_

"I'll never answer to you!" Naruto hissed, hoping that Sasuke's advice applied to this very situation.

"Kabuto's icy eyes turned to slits. The kunai moved to his throat instead. In less than a second, the genjutsu melted away. Naruto was lying in the middle of a rice field. Kabuto, gazing down at him, twisted his face up in disgust. Sasuke had been right. Again. Naruto heard another set of footsteps growing ever closer. Kabuto heard them too, and in less than half a second, he had disappeared.

Sasuke stepped into view, Sakura behind him.

"What did I tell you about getting tied up, Dobe?"

"Not to," Naruto repeated for the eightieth time.

"And what did you allow to happen?" Kakashi inquired, approaching from the other side of the field.

"This might sound stupid," Naruto began, "but I swear it's true."

"Just tell us, Dobe," the hansome Uchiha murmured.

"There's more to this little club than we guessed. Kabuto's mixed up in this somehow…" Naruto's comrades stared blankly at him. "These ninja are also stronger than they are pretending to be: They're high ranking chunin at least… They want us to believe that they're weak, so we'll willingly walk into them and get killed. We need to warn the others."

"Neji's group will be fine," Sasuke began. "Neji should be able to sense their chakra. If only we had Karin…" The last sentence came out in a harsh whisper. Sakura shot him a dirty look and turned back to Naruto. "Shikamaru should also be fine. If they need to, they can use Ino to call in more leaf ninja. I say for now that we travel as one group and see where that gets us. We'll most likely run into the rest while we're moving."

"Five is too conspicuous of a number—"

"There were at least half a dozen waterfall ninja in the group we ran into," Sasuke retorted.

"Fine," Naruto sighed. _Still stronger. Still the leader. Still the cool guy. Urgh. _


	10. Chapter 9

**Hey everyone! Look, I know I owe you all a really good chapter, and I promise the next one will be amazing. I'll have chapter ten publushed in eight days. Keep reading. I love you all! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

* * *

"Naruto," Sakura began, "it couldn't possibly be Kabuto. We're chasing after waterfall ninja, not sound. This kind of a thing doesn't sound much like Kabuto's style either."

"Sakura, I know what I saw. It was Kabuto."

"It just doesn't make any sense," she replied.

"Well, Kabuto has never made much sense to me either…" Sasuke commented. "None of the sound ninja really made any sense to me, but if there's one person that wants my head, it's Kabuto."  
"But why?" Sakura asked. "I mean, he couldn't have really been a follower of Orochimaru; I thought that we had established the fact that he's far too intelligent. He would have wanted Orochimaru dead."

"Kabuto and I didn't exactly get along…well that is to say we weren't even on speaking terms."

"So what, now he wants to kill you and the rest of our family because of an insult."

"He probably has other motives…I gave him quite a few…"

"What are you trying to say?" Naruto asked.

"He has reason to want to kill me, and he will if he can…last. He wants to see me suffer the pain of losing everyone I care about first. Then he'll kill me last…It's what I planned on doing to him; I only half succeeded."

"You mean you killed everyone he cared about? How is that even possible? I mean—"

"No, he did have a few people that he cared a great deal about. Orochimaru wasn't exactly on that list, but Kabuto did want to be rid of him himself. Can we move on to another subject please? This information seems quite irrelevant to the situation we're in right now," Sasuke said.

"Stop!" Sakura commanded. "We have company."

"What on—"

"Neji, what is it?" Tenten asked worriedly.

"Tsunade approximated forty shinobi. I see at least fifty chakra networks."

"That's impossible! A group of that magnitude? How is that possible?"

"I have no clue."

"We should wait for the others to catch up; they can't be far," Lee said.

Ino, Choji, and Shikamaru appeared a few feet away. Neji immediately stepped up. "Prove who you are," he commanded.

"I'm Akamichi Choji, jonin from the village of Konoha. Shikamaru used to be my only friend, Ino always lectured me on losing weight, I almost died on a mission to save Sasuke Uchiha, I've been on 120 A rank missions, 284 B rank—"

"That's enough," Neji said.

"I'm Nara Ino, jonin from the village of Konoha. I married Shikamaru on June 26, 2013…"

She never thought this would happen, but here it was. Sasuke lay motionless on the ground and she could do nothing but stare in horror.

The water gushed in around them. Sasuke's hand slipped out of hers; he was unconscious. No he was falling through the water, deeper and deeper. _Shit. This is not good. _The kunoichi's thoughts swirled in a mess. There were still waterfall shinobi all over the place. If she went under, they'd kill her, but if she didn't they'd kill him. _I can't lose him! I can't! _

Where am I? More importantly, where is Sasuke? "Sasuke!" I called out his name, but there was no answer. None. Not even 'hn.' I knew it; he was dead. I looked down below me. There he was, motionless. Crumpled in a heap below me, soaking wet—and dead. No…no…not possible.

He can't; he wouldn't. I almost fell to his side, slamming my palm down onto his chest; it was warm, and there was a pulse—a pulse. Chakra welled up into my hands, flowing into him. Please let this be enough, I prayed. It was. It was enough.

Sasuke's eyelids slid open, revealing the mangenkyo sharringan. Not this again. "Sasuke, you can't do this! Not again!" He turned his attention to me, speaking in a hushed whisper.

"Sakura, I have to." That was all he said. I blinked. He was gone again, following the waterfall shinobi.

_You're pathetic_, my inner self moaned. _Oh shut up_! I thought back. _You're not helping._

Sakura, jumping to her feet, headed off in the direction Sasuke had disappeared. If there was ever a time that Tsunade had been wrong, it was now. Nor only were there ten more shiobi than planned; they were all skilled.

"We'll never be able to hold them off!" Naruto shouted. Sai's face remained blank. Brush in hand; he began to paint all sorts of creatures on the scroll he was carrying. Lions and dragons leapt out of the paper and began the pursuit of the shinobi. "We have to go back. This is far out of our hands," Naruto ordered.

"Shikamaru's the head of this, Naruto," Sai countered. "We have to follow his orders."

"Hate to break it to you, but Shikamaru's not here," Naruto remarked. "And Shikamaru would agree with me on this. It's dangerous being out here without a plan."

"We have a plan," Sai began.

"Yeah well, as of now it's impossible. I mean, how are we supposed to infiltrate this? I

"As much as I'd like to stay and kick waterfall ass," Sasuke began, "Naruto does have a point." Sai glared at Sasuke who hissed in return.

"Okay, now is really not the time to be fighting!" Sakura scolded. "We need to find Shikamaru and the others before we run into anymore shinobi, got it?"

"Well, that was fast," Kakashi muttered. Lee, Neji, Tenten, Shikamaru, Ino, and Choji stood in a circle under a large cedar tree. Their whispers traveled, but none of the words were clear.

Landing with a soft thud between Neji and Tenten, Naruto began speaking directly to Shikamaru. "We've got to go back. There was obviously an underestimate on the strength of these guys." Shikamaru nodded.

"We need to tell the Hokage," Shikamaru agreed. "It's no use staying out here; we'll only get killed faster." Sai looked a bit like he was ready to behead something; Naruto only hoped that he would not be the victim of Sai's venting.

Ever since Sai had regained all of his emotions, there had been extreme highs and extreme lows. Naruto had seen many results of this. Once, Sai had been in an incredibly good mood and had painted eighteen masterpieces in one day. Another time, Sai had discovered the emotion of love and had asked Temari on a date while she was organizing the Chunin exams in Konoha. It hadn't quite worked out, but the two were still friends. Sai remained Konoha's most eligible bachelor. This, however, was definitely one of Sai's lows.

As the eleven shinobi of Konoha raced back to give news to the Hokage, a frown remained stuck to Sai's face, unmoving, unwilling, absolute.

"Fifty!" Upon hearing the new status of the mission, Tsunade had dropped her bottle of sake.

"Yes. It appears that their numbers have grown," Neji confirmed.

"You are sure of this?" She asked.

"Fifty at the least," Neji replied solemnly.

"Alright, I want everyone back here in a week. If we can't even track their developments then we are going to have a problem. There should be twenty more available shinobi after the week is over. We'll take it from there. Is this understood?"

"Hai," Neji answered. Similar answers followed.

"You are dismissed. Sasuke, Sakura. I'd like a word with you,"

"Hai. What is it?" Sasuke asked.

"If their first target was you, why aren't you harmed? Sakura thought back to their run in with the twenty waterfall ninja.

"Actually, they hit our group the hardest. Neji told me that Tenten, Lee, and he were targeted by six. Choji, Ino, and Shikamaru were hit by two, and Naruto, Kakashi, and Sai also faced off with six before joining us. Twenty followed us. That became twenty six after Naruto's group joined. At one point I thought I was going to die. If Sakura hadn't noticed I was drowning, I'd be dead by now."

"I see," the Hokage replied. "You may go." Tsunade watched as the two drifted out of her office. This was so much worse than anything she had imagined possible.

Naruto stepped through the front door into the comfort of his warm home.

"You're back already?" Hinata's voice greeted.

"Only for a week," he replied. "The situation was worse than expected. Tsunade-obachan is thinking it over right now."

"Worse?"

"Yeah. There turned out to be fifty waterfall nin, and they're more powerful than they look." Hinata blinked.

"Fifty?"

"Tsunade didn't take it well either…"

* * *

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	11. Chapter 10

Alright, here's the chapter you've all been waiting for. All questions answered, new secrets revealed. I hope all of you enjoy this.

The Kuchikukan

Chapter Ten

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"I want them captured," the harsh voice replied, "not dead: Captured! Do you understand me, Takahiro, or should I give you a bit more motivation!"

"I understand! The man—the main with the shadows—"

"Is Nara Shikamaru. What of him? Please don't tell me that one of their shinobi was the cause of this."

"How do I defeat him, My Lord?" Akio asked, hoping he would not be violently punished.

"Manage your strategies on your own time! Oh, and kill the villager while you're at it!" The voice shouted angrily.

"I'm sorry."

"Go!" Akio left without another word. It was pointless to argue with Kabuto, and it would only lead to the downfall of the entire plan.

_"Kabuto," Sasuke's smooth voice taunted. "What would you do if I killed this girl in front of you, right now?" Kabuto screamed._

_"Don't hurt her! Kill me!" He thrashed about wildly in the chains. _

_"Kabuto, whatever is the matter," Sasuke cooed. "I've never seen you like this…"_

_"Don't touch her!" He screamed again. For the first time, Sasuke saw genuine emotion in the silver haired medical ninja's eyes. _

_"What if I did?" He asked, holding up the kunai to the young girl's throat. "What would do? What would you attempt to do?" Kabuto's eyes widened, taking in the entire picture. "That's right! You won't be able to do anything." Sasuke slid the knife a half inch down her throat. The girl did not respond, but Kabuto, screaming and thrashing, began throwing a flurry of swear words at Sasuke._

_"If this is about that girl," he shrieked. "I didn't kill her! That pink haired kunoichi is alive! She's a medical ninja. She healed herself and went back!" Sasuke's eyes widened. "This is what I've been trying to tell you; she's alive!" Sasuke withdrew the kunai, letting it drop to the ground. His face was blank and solemn. Slowly, he turned and stalked off into the trees. _

"…June 26, 2013—"

"Stop!" Shikamaru abruptly commanded. "I had been wondering why the waterfall shinobi suddenly stopped following us." Tenten's face was puzzled. Neji's held a solid poker expression.

"Well, it seems you're right," Neji breathed. "Fifty huh? This should be interesting. Quick! Move!" Several paper bombs detonated not five feet from where they had been standing. Glancing over, Neji saw Sasuke and Sakura sprinting in their direction.

"These waterfall ninja are really a pain," Shikamaru complained. He barely had time to finish his sentence; seconds later, a water shockwave poured in around them. "How troublesome," Shikamaru muttered. "They've brought their water with them. Lovely."

_Jeeze, you are annoying_, Tenten thought. Opening her scroll, she summoned the katana Neji had gotten for her on her seventeenth birthday. The sword had always felt very natural in her capable hands, more natural than any other weapon. _Dodge, slash—crap!_ Brown eyes gave a sadistic smile as Kabuto's second in command trapped the blade between his feet. He flipped over, feet still holding tight to the blade, but Tenten was too fast. Jerking her sword up violently, she yanked the katana free and shot a well aimed slash at her opponent; however, he dodged it. _I'd like to see you take this on_, she thought, beginning a series of complex handsigns. Tenten had never used many jutsus, but Neji had convinced her of their importance, so Tenten allowed herself to be taught a few of them.

Tenten's sword melted away, reappearing on the other side of her opponent. _Nice try_, she thought, _but you're too naïve._

Neji and Lee were battling three shinobi at once.

"I have an idea!" Lee exclaimed excitedly. "Let's make this a competition!"

"Now's not the time, Lee," Neji responded cooly. Too many kunai knives came flying through the air, aimed for Neji, but a simple palms rotation did the job. It was one kick to the head of a black haired waterfall ninja, and Lee's taijutsu had prevailed. Neji slammed down his palm onto the chest of another ninja, watching as the man slipped off balance. "Nice try Lee, but I still kick butt better than you do," Neji laughed. One touch from Neji and the third was down.

Shikamaru and Ino were battling six at once. At first glance it would seem to be out of hands, but Shikamaru always had everything under control in all situations.

"Shadow sewing jutsu!" Shikamaru's shadow broke into many arms and began weaving through the shadows of the waterfall ninja. _You're too late_, Shikamaru thought.

Sai, Naruto, and Kakashi were battling with eight more shinobi, although they seemed to have everything in hand.

"Oh god," Saskuke murmured. "Sakura, get behind me!" He shouted. Thirty-two shinobi stepped into view, rapidly advancing towards them. _Oh god, I didn't think that there would be so many; this is so much worse than the twenty originally following us_. _Plus, these guys have got to be the stronger ones. Tsunade doesn't need this on her conscience; I'll put an end to this now._ Sasuke's thoughts ran wild.

"Sharringan!" Sasuke began taking in all of the jutsus. _Of course they're using water. Great. I'm definitely at the disadvantage here…I've got to protect Sakura_. Sasuke built up his chakra. _I've got to use the mangenkyo sharringan_.

Sakura was using the water dragon bullet technique to attack a group of seven. Sasuke began a battle with eight of them. Sasuke channeled his chidori through the water into six of the shinobi. His jutsu met its targets, rendering them all unconscious. Sasuke turned around in time to see Sakura punch the life out of another. Half shocked, he wondered at her amazing strength. _That is bad ass. What's that?_ Sasuke whirled around, but not in time to avoid the water prison. The shinobi holding him captive smiled sickly, put on a mask, and dived underwater. Sasuke couldn't move, he couldn't breathe. He felt the last of his breath run out, and slowly, he began to fall unconscious. The last thing he saw was Sakura as she fought two more simultaneously_. This is it then. I can no longer protect her. I can no longer protect my daughter. I can no longer protect my clan. I can't be with her any longer…I should have listened to her the first time she told me not to leave. I should have stayed in Konoha. I should have turned around and wrapped her in my arms that night. I shouldn't have left. I should have been there when she became a medical ninja. I should have taken her out to dinner and congratulated her on her accomplishments. I should have been with her from the start. I'm such an idiot. I gave up everything I had to take revenge on the orders of someone who was already dead. And now I'm going to die, and I still regret so much. And I won't be there for my family, just as mu family was never there for me. I won't even get to say… _

"Sasuke!" Her screams rang in my ears. "Sasuke! Wake up!" Sasuke!" She broke down in sobs, draping herself over me. "Sasuke," she whimpered.

"Sakura, arigato," he whispered in her ear. He coughed up some of the water he had inhaled.

"Sasuke! You're alive!" Her face lit up.

"H-help. My head…it-ah!" Sakura's face became very serious. Her hands lit up with chakra. Gently, she put her hand to his forehead, watching as the tortured expression disappeared from his face.

Sasuke opened his eyes; her face was an inch from his. Sakura let out the breath she had been holding and pressed her lips gently down upon his. Sasuke knew it was impossible to read minds, but he felt her thoughts in every breath, every movement.

She pulled away her face slowly, still taking in what had happened, and allowed her raven haired Uchiha to take in the rest of the scene. They were situated on a small pillar of rock, surrounded by water. All around him, he saw the others, but no one else was visible. There were no traces of any of the waterfall shinobi.

"W-what happened?" He asked.

Kakashi spoke. "We were fighting them, but they all suddenly disappeared. No doubt they're off to heal all of their injured. It's strange though; I've never seen such a thing. It was almost if they were being controlled by someone—they all left—all at once. We took care of a good number of them, but the rest escaped." Looking around, he glanced at the rest. Neji was breathing heavily, Tenten had several gashes all the way up both arms, and she lay unconscious in Neji's arms. Lee's headband was actually on his head, and he looked as tired as Neji.

Ink was splattered all over Sai's face, and Kakashi had a long, thin cut across his cheek. Ino looked like she had taken the worst of the damage; she had a deep gash in her side and several smaller ones on her arms. One of her legs was bent in an unnatural way, and bruises splotched her skin. Shikamaru was holding her and applying pressure to the deepest cut. Naruto was bloody, but he appeared to be alright. Shikamaru was unharmed. "I think it would be best if we headed back to Konoha," Kakashi began. "Sakura doesn't have enough chakra left, and we don't pose even a threat if they return.

"What happened?" Sasuke asked. "It looked like everything was under control."

"The second you were under water, the waterfall shinobi pursuing you picked new targets. Ino got stuck fighting eleven of them at once after Shikamaru wound up locked in combat—"

Shikamaru interrupted. "She'd be dead by now if Neji hadn't gotten there," he spoke, looking down at the beautiful, blonde kunoichi in his arms. "Thanks." Neji nodded back. Tenten stirred in his arms. It was then that Sasuke noticed how torn up he and Sakura were.

Sakura had gashed all the way up both arms and legs. Several bruises dotted her exposed skin, and Sasuke suspected that she had many more. In his side, there was a bloody hole that a kunai knife had made. Sakura had done her best to heal it, but it was still quite bad.

"We had better leave now," Kakashi advised.

Eleven shinobi became visible at the gates of Konoha. Seeing that several of them were injured and all exhausted, two guards left their posts to carry the still unconscious Tenten and Ino. Sakura was limping, resting much of her weight on Sasuke who looked as if he could pass out any second.

Sasuke awoke in a hospital bed. Kakashi was sitting, reading Make Out Tactics beside his bed.

"Glad to see you're awake. Once Ino and Tenten are conscious, we'll leave. Tsunade is expecting us."

"Hn." Sasuke nodded. "Where's Sakura?" Kakashi nodded his head towards other side of the room. Sakura's injuries had already healed, and she was busy healing Ino's broken leg. "Hn."

"She was up all night, worrying over you. That injury to your head more severe than it looked. It appears that on ninja hit you pretty hard. There was severe internal bleeding. Sakura healed most of it after she pulled you out of the water, but it was still pretty bad when we got back. How do you feel? What do you remember?"

"I'm fine. I can still remember everything that happened. All of it," Sasuke replied cooly.

"Good. Sakura should be finished up in a few minutes; she's been working for about six hours today. Someone will be in to fill her position after she finishes with Ino's leg." Sasuke closed his eyes, taking a deep breath and slowly letting it out. Everyone is safe. That's good. Sakura…Sakura is amazing.

"I can't imagine what would have happened if Sakura hadn't been there," he breathed.

"Did you say something?" Kakashi asked, looking up from his book. Sasuke was silent. "Is there anything wrong?"

"I'm glad she's alive. I'm glad I came back to Konoha. She's amazing, really." Sasuke was of course referring to Sakura.

"Are you sure you're okay. I've never heard that many words of such strong meaning out of you, let alone of your own volition…"

"I'm fine; I just want someone to talk to. As weird as that sounds coming from me, I promise there's nothing wrong with my head."

"If you say so. What do you want to talk about?"

"Why can I never protect the people I love?" Sasuke asked. "I couldn't protect my family the night they were murdered, and I can't protect my friends, my wife, and my daughter even now."

"Sasuke, it's not your fault that this is happening, and you can protect the people you love; you already do. Wondering where that hole in your side came from?" Sasuke wore a look of curiosity on his face. "There was a kunai headed straight for Sakura's heart, and it would have hit had you not jumped in front of it. You protected her. Subconsciously, you took the fatal blow for her." Sasuke stared wide-eyed at Kakashi. His face grew much lighter; relief spread across his brow. "You also stopped the Kuchikukan from reaching you're daughter. They retreated."

"No; the rest of you did most of the work."

"Sasuke, you took down ten shinobi on your own: That's more than anyone else." Sasuke stared blankly at the ceiling.

"But I failed to defeat them," the raven haired Uchiha sighed. "They're still alive, alive and plotting."

"True," Kakashi commented, "but they've taken a tremendous blow. They won't be able to recover from this for at least a month." _A month huh?_ _That buys us some time…_

Blood-curdling screams echoed off the walls inside the underground hideout. "You're pathetic," Akio breathed into the man's ear, "and we have no more use for you." Akio picked up his katana and sliced another hole into the man's stomach, listening to the villager scream. "You have failed to provide Lord Kabuto with sufficient information." Giving the villager one last glance, he slit the man's throat. "Well, you did provide useful in the end. You'll be another corpse for Kabuto."

Akio stalked out of the room into the silent marble hallway. His footsteps echoed off of the stone as he headed back to his own room. Halfway there, he was interrupted by another one of Kabuto's subordinates. "What do you want?" Akio asked lazily.

"Where's the villager?" Akio waited a moment before responding.

"He's dead. Kabuto told me to dispose of him. Why?" The subordinate held out an envelope.

"I found this when I searched his room a moment ago," Kabuto's subordinate said. Akio took it. Inside was a picture of the so call 'villager' and a profile.

Name: Iboshi, Matsuda

Age: 24

Rank: S ANBU Black Ops

Ninja Registration Number: 223569

Loyalty: Konohagure

Blood Type: AB+

Akio stared blankly at the paper in front of him, still and shaken. His face quickly lost it's remaining color, fading into a grayish blue tone.

"Oh shit. This is not good."

"Just thought you'd want that," the subordinate said, making his way back down the hallway. Akio turned around and began sprinting back to Kabuto's office. The door was coming up at the end of the hall.

Akio slammed into the hard wooden door and burst through, toppling several piles of neatly stacked bingo books. Kabuto stood up from behind the desk, a snarl on his face.

"What on Earth do you think you're doing?" He hissed. Akio silently handed over the envelope and the papers he had removed. Kabuto's face progressed to a deep shade of purple as he read the profile. He finished, looked at Akio, and opened his mouth, but nothing came out. A muted choking noise came from the back of his throat. Kabuto opened his mouth again and shut it, dropping the papers onto the floor. Then, he sat down at the desk continued with his work.

"Go away," he commanded. Akio left the office and noiselessly closed the door behind himself.

"Fifty!" Upon hearing the new status of the mission, Tsunade had dropped her bottle of sake.

"Yes. It appears that their numbers have grown," Neji confirmed.

"You are sure of this?" She asked.

"Fifty at the least," Neji replied solemnly.

"What happed?" The fifth Hokage inquired.

"They were following us in small groups at first, but then they disappeared. When we were nearing the location of their base, all of them showed up again. Then they regrouped. The Uchihas got hit the hardest though. Thirty-two shinobi were after them. About twenty minutes into the battle they split up and began targeting the rest of us instead."

"I see," Tsunade muttered, draining another bottle of sake. "Alright, I want everyone back here in a week. If we can't even track their developments then we are going to have a problem. There should be twenty more available shinobi after the week is over. We'll take it from there. Is this understood?"

"Hai," Neji answered. Similar answers followed.

"You are dismissed. Sasuke, Sakura. I'd like a word with you,"

"Hai. What is it?" Sasuke asked.

"If their first target was you, why aren't you harmed? Sakura thought back to their run in with the twenty waterfall ninja. Then she thought of the thirty-two and the damage they had received.

"We weren't killed, but Sasuke did suffer internal bleeding and some other minor injuries," Sakura replied. "I got a bit cut up too."

"Actually, they hit our group the hardest. Neji told me that Tenten, Lee, and he were targeted by six. Choji, Ino, and Shikamaru were hit by two, and Naruto, Kakashi, and Sai also faced off with six before joining us. Twenty followed us. That became twenty six after Naruto's group joined. As Neji told you, they left and then regrouped. There were thirty-two instead of twenty then. At one point I thought I was going to die. If Sakura hadn't noticed I was drowning, I'd be dead by now."

"I see," the Hokage replied. "You may go." Tsunade watched as the two drifted out of her office. This was so much worse than anything she had imagined possible. First of all, there weren't forty, there were fifty. Second, they were more skilled than what they appeared to be. And third, they were after the village; Tsunade was sure of that. The fifth Hokage leaned back in her seat and picked up another sake bottle. _This is going to be interesting…and ugly if I'm not careful…_

Sasuke stepped into the front room and collapsed onto the sofa, not bothering to take off his shoes. Sakura sat down on the floor beside him. This event had become so often that Sakura had gone out and bought a large rectangular cushion to sit on a few months back. He sighed, closing his eyes. Sakura raised a hand to his lovely black hair and began playing with a small strand of it. She often did this when he was asleep. Sasuke hummed a soft note and took in a deep breath.

"You going to sleep down here?" She asked. He grunted and sat up, removing his shoes. "I guess not." He stood up and stretched his shoulders before scooping Sakura into his arms and carrying her up the stairs. Gently, he set her down on the bed and sat down beside her. "Sasuke, is something wrong?" He turned to face her.

"I spoke to Kakashi at the hospital. I told him about I didn't think I could protect anyone I loved. He told me that I already did, and I guess it's true. I feel a bit better now, but it makes me wonder what it would be like to lose you."

"I thought I was going to lose you," she replied. "I thought you were gone. I thought you'd never come back. I honestly believed that that creep Orochimaru was going to steal your body and that I would never see you again. My life ended that day. It ended ever so abruptly. I don't think I've ever healed from that. It's like a wound that can only be cared for, a wound I can endure, but it's a wound that will never heal." Sasuke closed his eyes.

"I've felt the same way too. On that day, the day that I told you I didn't care if Orochimaru stole my body, I also contemplated that idea. That's the day I decided I was going to kill him after I got as much out of the snake as I could. That was also the day that I began doubting all the decisions I had ever made. All of them. Especially my decision to leave Konoha, my decision to leave you. I suppose you know that one girl that joined my team when I was part of the Akatsuki, Karin. Every time I looked at her, I compared you two in my head. Every time I looked at her, I wished it was you instead. When she doted on me, I thought of you. You had loved me, but you'd never been like a lovesick puppy dog, not like her at least. I always felt like there was something missing in my life, but I made it right by telling myself that you could never love an avenger. I told myself that it was better that I was gone, because then you could fall in love with Naruto and eventually end up happily with him. That's why I used to hate Naruto so much. I knew he was the kind of guy you would fall for if he matured a little; I envied him for that. I envied that he was the right kind of person for you. He was strong, good natured, and he wasn't a masochistic bastard like me. He was absolutely perfect for you.

"I know you would have married him if I hadn't returned. That's what made me come back. I've always been jealous of that dobe," he laughed. Sakura was shocked. She was, for the first time in her life, hearing the real reason why the man she was in love with had returned. "Does this all make sense to you?" She nodded, wanting to hear more of his voice. This was, of all the times he had ever spoken to her, the most words he had ever said. In fact, she was stunned that he was able to convey his emotions so well. "That one day, the day I came back, that was the one day that I felt full again. I've never felt the same way since, and I don't know why. I think it's the gaping hole that time left though. I think that's what plagues me. I wasn't there when you became a chunin. I wasn't there when you mastered medical ninjutsu. I wasn't there to make you happy or to congratulate you or to tell you that no matter what, I would be there for you, because I wasn't there for you. I have always regretted that. I'm sorry for leaving you, Sakura. Will you accept my most sincere apology?" Sakura was crying by then. Tears welled up in her eyes and spilled down her cheeks.

"Yes, yes I will." Sasuke wrapped his arms around his crying Sakura. Even though she was crying, she felt the hole inside her filling up. A tear slid down Sasuke's cheek, but the hole inside of him was already gone. He'd done it, he'd finally found the cause of both her suffering and his own. He still wished the past could be changed, but he felt full again, a feeling he hadn't known for thirteen years.

"Sakura," Sasuke whispered. "I love you." He felt tears on his shoulder.

"Sasuke, I have always loved you."

Akio laid down on the spring mattress. His thoughts swirled in a jumbled mess_. Now I've done it. I've killed a perfect source of information._ His thinking was interrupted when the door exploded.


	12. Chapter 11

**Hey guys! I finally got around to publishing the next chapter! **

**Some things aren't going to make very much sense right now, but that's because I decided to create a totally confusing and mental plot line. **

**Just you wait! I don't know how many more chapters there are going to be, becuase I can't decide on the dirrection I want to take the story. **

**Review and tell me what to do. Shall I end the story quickly, or should I write the huge ninja war that I'm planning on creating? **

**Well, enjoy!**

**Disclaimer time! Today, Lee is helping me!**

**Lee: I'm so glad you asked me to help you! Does this count as training?**

**Me: No, Lee. **

**Lee: But I must train! What would Gai-sensei say?**

**Me: Lee-**

**Lee: Get on my back!**

**Me: Fine...**

**Lee: My youthful friends, this chapter is teeming with the flames of youth; however, this writer does not own Naruto or its youthful characters! YOSH! LET'S READ!**

* * *

Akio stared at the gaping hole where the door had once stood. A figure stood in the midst of the dust and debris. A leaf ninja, Akio concluded. The dust began to clear, and the figure advanced into the room, a snarl on his face. Sliver, untamed locks of hair hung over his shoulder. Cracks ran through his glasses, obscuring his sight. The silver haired ninja ripped the glasses off his face, dropped them, and shattered the lenses on the tile floor.

"Kabuto-sama," Akio whispered.

"I regret letting you live so long! Prove your worth or I'll murder you now! You are to go to the leaf village, and take the daughter of the Uchiha. If you fail to complete this mission, you'll join Katsuki! Yes, I killed him. Katsuki doesn't know that though. Can't say I regret it."

"What do you mean?" Akio demanded. "What did you do?" Kabuto's glare melted through to Akio's thoughts like a hot knife through butter. "Never mind."

"Good. Now leave."

"H-Hai, Kabuto-sama," Akio breathed. Akio formed the sign of the ram and vanished with a puff of smoke. _How nice it will be to see you again, Sasuke-kun._

Naruto disappeared back into his office, waiting for Hinata to walk him and say that there was something wrong. He wasn't going to admit that he was troubled unless someone came in and told him that he was. Soft footsteps met his ears; lavender eyes met his.

"Naruto, what's wrong?" Hinata asked worriedly.

"I don't know. I have this awful feeling, and I don't know why," he replied softly. "At first I tried to ignore it, but it just gets worse. It's almost like the feeling I get when I over train myself."

"What do you think is bothering you? I almost never see you act like this; it's not like you."

"Where's Hanako?" Naruto asked, changing the subject.

"She's in bed," Hinata answered. "Sasuke will be here tomorrow morning to pick her up for the week. I'll probably be sent out on a mission with you guys next time, but Dad offered to take her in for a few weeks. She should be happy."

"Hn," Naruto grunted weakly.

"Naruto, this isn't you-ish behavior. You're acting like Sasuke does when he really doesn't want to talk. What's bothering you?"

"I don't know," he moaned in desperation. Hinata walked over and sat down on his lap. Naruto leaned his head on Hinata's shoulder and began to cry. Wrapping him in her arms, she began to sing Naruto's favorite song.

Kazemo nemuru shizukana gogo ni  
Kimi ni aeru riyou wo sanashita  
Atarimae ni haru wa otozure  
Soyo kaze wa kage wo furuwaseta

Naruto listened to her small, beautiful voice.

Hey there. Hey there.

Hey there. Hey there.

Hey there. Hey there.

Hey there. Hey there.

Hinata felt his tears through the thin, satin kimono.

Garasu no wareru otoni okosareta gogo  
Mado no sotoni wa mu-jakina koru  
Soba ni ita hahaoya wa kodomo wo shikaru kedo  
Doushiyou monainoka komatta kaoshite inu ga hoeru

Hinata felt the sting of tears in her own eyes. _Naruto-kun, Please feel better. All I wanted to do was make you feel better again. _Tears continued to trickle down his cheeks. She couldn't imagine what was putting him through this kind of torture. She never wanted to see him hurt like **that** again. Hinata couldn't even bring herself to think of that day. She imagined that Naruto was remembering that day. _Naruto-kun, don't think about that. You know how this affects you_.

"Hinata-chan. That day—"

"Naruto, don't think about that! You know it affects you."

"I can't help it, Hina—"

"Naruto," she said, lifting his chin up with her fingertip. "You don't have to worry about that anymore. It's over. You need to stop fretting over that; none of that was your fault. Don't you get it? Naruto, it wasn't you." Other than Naruto's continuous sobs, the office remained dark, cold, and silent."Why don't we go have tea?"

"Hn."

"Come on," Hinata pleaded, squeezing the blonde ninja tighter. "Please come and have tea."

"Fine," he growled half heartedly. Hinata gave him a weak smile and stood up. Naruto slumped out of the chair and followed her into the kitchen. She took to teacups from the cabinet and poured steaming, honey golden liquid into each. Naruto could smell it; it was jasmine green tea. He had never been a fan of jasmine tea, but it wasn't awful either. Hinata handed him a glass and sat down opposite her pouting husband. "Hinata, I lost control; it was my fault."

"Naruto, they know it wasn't your fault. The seal was bound to weaken sometime."

"It's because of me. I can't control it. I got angry. The nine tails sensed that and used the opportunity that I gave it. It was my fault."

"It can't be helped. You weren't even conscious; no one is holding anything against you—"

"I wish they would," he growled in frustration. "I wish they would just kill me, this thing inside of me, so that it can't hurt any more people I love. It would be better if I were dead," Naruto muttered. "I deserve to be. I killed their son!"

"It wasn't your fault! I know you, and you are so much better than the nine tails will ever be. There's nothing that can be done!"

"They should kill me. That's what should be done. They should kill me, so that I can't hurt anyone anymore. I'm hurting you right now! I'm a selfish person who can't even control his own actions."

"You are nothing of the sort—"

"Yes I am," he argued. "And I always will be." Naruto stood up, knocking his cup off the table. It trickled off the table and onto the tile floor. Hinata didn't take one look at the teacup. Instead, she stood up and walked over to Naruto, embracing him tightly. She felt his muscular arms around her thin figure. "I'm sorry for saying all that. It was cruel and awful, and I'm sorry for hurting you," he whispered. Relief swept over her as she felt his anger vanish. _Maybe he'll finally forgive himself. _A smile spread over his lips, and the light returned to his glittering blue eyes. "I'm tired and hungry." Hinata laughed.

"You look tired."

"Will you make me ramen?" Hinata sighed. It was always ramen. Every single time he got back. Truthfully, she enjoyed making him something that he would actually eat.

"Yes, I'll make you ramen… if you stop worrying and go to sleep after you eat."

"Agreed," he accepted, yawning. Hinata retrieved the noodles from the pantry and then got to work boiling water and adding the broth. While the noodles cooked, she sliced up the vegetables and fish cakes, neatly pushing them to the side of the cutting board. As Naruto inhaled the scent of Hinata's cooking, he was brought back to his senses.

After what seemed to be ages, Hinata poured the ramen into a bowl and set it down in front of him.

"Arigato, Hinata," he hummed. Then the blonde haired shinobi began his relentless splashing and slurping of the ramen, a habit of his that never had and never would change. "You are a good chef," he choked out, chewing with his mouth open. "I remember the first time you made me food. We were on that weird mission with the bounty hunters."

"I remember too," Hinata sighed. "How could I ever forget that day? You told me that I would make a good wife."

"You did," he replied happily; I was right.

"Chew with your mouth closed. Good grief."

Akio raced silently through the forest, cautious not to make a noise in the stillness of the night. He could smell the city and see the lights in the distance; Akio was close now, close enough to hear the words of recognition slip out of Kabuto's lips. Despite their bitter emptiness, Akio cherished them. They held him to the ground, found a place for his outcast person. Despite his heartless disposition, Akio found Kabuto to be quite agreeable—of course that only applied to days that he wasn't sulking.

Their house was very close. He could feel the chakra signature—two people. _Two? No! Where was their child_? Frustration welled up in his mind, but he ignored it, thinking instead of the best plan of action. If he waited to the morning, there was a chance he would be detected. Now, if he could only find the child. The Kuchikukan had collected information on several leaf shinobi. _Hatake Kakashi, Nara Shikamaru, Hyuuga Hinata…who would know the Uchiha's best_?

Mind swirling, Akio picked at random and erased his signature, disappearing into the darkness.

Sakura leaned over a pile of paper work. The hospital had already fallen behind, and it had only been a week and a half. Sakura had expected that twenty nurses and six doctors would be enough to run the place while she was gone. The hidden sand had even sent in two of their own doctors to assist.

"Do they ever give you a break?" Sasuke's voice startled her.

"Sasuke, why are you still up?" She yawned, gazing up to meet his eyes.

"You're still up. Why can't I stay up?"

"Because I'm used to this. If you pulled this kind of crap every night, I'd worry less."

"Sakura, you don't have to worry about me; you know that. Come on. You can do that tomorrow." His cherry blossom sighed and let the papers slip out of her hands. Lazily, they drifted back onto the desk and lay there like lions in the sun. Running her fingers through her hair, Sakura stood up, practically falling over, only to land in Sasuke's outstreched arms.

"Carry me," she yawned. Exhausted and smiling, Sasuke lifted the subconscious medic into his arms and drew her near to him. "You're going to pick up Hanako tomorrow?"

"Yeah, I'll go get her. Do you want to sleep in?" He lulled.

"Hn," she hummed in reply. She felt Sasuke shaking. Looking up, she glimpsed he amused smile on his lips. It was then that Sakura realized Sasuke was laughing. Honest to god! Sasuke Uchiha was laughing! He opened his mouth and a pure, beautiful, baritone laugh escaped. Sakura stared in disbelief.

"What?" He inquired.

"You! You-laughing!"

"And? You're the one who said 'hn.' That's my answer." Sakura realized that she had indeed replied with 'hn', and a fit of giggles filled the room. At last, she stopped, completely drained of energy. "You're tired. Time to go to bed."

"Sasuke, I'm not an academy student," she yawned. He laughed some more and stepped out into the hall. Sakura closed her eyes and let Sasuke's heartbeat sing her to sleep.

The lights in the windows went out; darkness flooded the puddles of light shining on the paved walk. Akio could feel faint footsteps on wood, and he could hear a yawn from inside. Three chakra signatures lingered in the building. Two were moving, and one appeared to be stationary. A smirk spread across his lips, strategies dangling in front of his eyes. Akio had waited long enough and researched far too much to accomplish such a simple task. They wouldn't even notice her presence disappearing. They wouldn't sense his chakra. They wouldn't see his brilliance. _Such work and no recognition. These people will never appreciate me…Kabuto won't give me recognition either. How do I get myself into these things_?

Silently, Akio slipped passed the gate, headed for the rear of the house. Chakra reached his senses, powerful but untouched. _This child doesn't even know her own capabilities. How miserable_. Akio crawled into the window and clasped his hand firmly over the child's mouth, pouring chakra into her body. Using his kekkai genkai, Akio managed to put the young Uchiha back to sleep. He scooped the girl into his arms and disappeared back into the night.

"Kabuto-sama," Akio smirked, setting down the sleeping child on his desk.

"Why are you leaving this on my desk? Take it away, Akio." Akio stood in shock, mouth hanging open like a fish. "Well, get her out of here. I don't have room for this!" Akio clamped his mouth shut and trudged out of the room with the girl.

"I go to all the trouble, and I'm still treated like another one of Kabuto's dead bodies. This is just great. And now, I am talking to myself." Akio trudged back down the hall, stopping at room 187 to put the child down. Turning the corner, he saw Kabuto approaching.

"You managed to kidnap the child," he mused.

"Perhaps I am more skilled than you thought," Akio replied.

"No, I don't think that's it. It's a wonder that you're still alive." Akio cursed under his breath, watching the smirk on Kabuto's face widen. Gooseflesh pricked his arms as a sudden draft filled the hall, cold and damp. "Well, you're alive, and the child isn't harmed, so I guess you can live." Shaking in anger, Akio turned and navigated back down the halls in the feeble candle light.

Hinata had fallen asleep, but Naruto remained, a sickened feeling residing in his stomach. He got up slowly, cautiously, so as not to wake the sleeping kunoichi next to him. Naruto began pacing back and forth in the hallways, contemplating the worry that he could not place. Another voice crept into his head, joining his search. _What is it this time, boy_? The kyuubi asked. _Nothing_, he retorted. _I can't sleep, but I have no need for you. Stop showing up and expecting that I need your help_. The fox laughed dryly before disappearing back behind the seal.

Naruto paced around more, but the fear did not leave him. _Everything is fine. What is your problem_? He asked himself. _Fine, I'll check on Hanako and then go back to sleep. I hope I don't wake her up; she's a light sleeper_. The blonde nervously peeked his head into the child's bedroom, scanning the darkness for her, but there was no sign of Hanako, nor was her chakra signature present. _Crap_! A light flickered on in the hallway, and Naruto could hear Hinata's light footsteps. He dashed back into the hall, but slammed hard into a tired Hinata.

"Naruto, what's wrong? What are you doing up?" She asked, dismayed.

"Hanako isn't in her room, and I can't feel her chakra either," he moaned. "This is my fault! I woke up to some kind of noise, but I ignored it. What have I done?"

"You haven't done anything. I'll check to see if she's still here. Byakugan!" Hinata turned slowly around in a circle, growing paler each degree. Finally, she looked back down at Naruto, who was slumped up against the wall with his head in his hands.

"She's not here," Hinata breathed. Naruto's eyes widened. "I think someone else was here. There's another scent in the house, but I don't recognize it."

"I do," Naruto whispered. "I know that scent. It's one of them." Naruto let his head fall back into his hands. "How could I have let this happen?"

"Naruto, you can't give up like this. Go check Hanako's room. If we're lucky, they could have left behind something." Naruto got to his feet, nausea building in his head, and slowly walked into Hanako's room. Something caught his eye.

A handsome scroll sat underneath the lamp on the bedside table. Naruto shakily lifted the scroll from its place and examined it. Finally deciding that the scroll was not going to explode, he undid the ribbon and pulled it open. The inside read as following:

Uchiha,

Gamatsu Bridge.

You have seventy-two hours to respond before your daughter dies.

Do not bring anyone else.

Naruto stared down at the note, then rolled it back up and walked into the hallway. Hinata was standing at the door, looking out into the night. Naruto guessed she was searching the area with her byakugan. Silently, he held out the note for his wife to read. Her eyes fell blank.

"We have to see Hokage-sama. This is out of our hands," she whispered. "We should also get Sakura and Sasuke." Naruto nodded in agreement and slipped on a pair of shoes.

Akio stared up at the ceiling, unable to fall asleep. The girl was properly locked up in room 187, and Kabuto was back in his office. Cautiously, the ninja slipped out of the room and into the halls. There were at least two entrances to every hideout. One was always in Kabuto's office, and the other was somewhere on the south end. Why it was the south end, Akio would never know. Kabuto always left the rooms in the south end empty, and that too would remain a mystery.

Akio traveled, back facing Kabuto's office, to the south end and eventually reached the exit. There was only one problem with going on a short excursion; once you got out, you couldn't get back in unless you notified Kabuto.

On top of that, he was sick of this disguise. _I hate this guy. I hate this look. I hate talking like him, and I hate thinking like him. I hate pretending to be him, and I also hate pretending I don't know a thing about 'Kabuto'_. Akio's face displayed no emotion. Slowly, he turned around and traveled back to room 187.

Sakura was staring blankly at the far corner, speaking in monotone to Naruto. Sasuke's head was in her lap, and she gently stoked his inky black locks. His eyes were closed, and his lips were pressed firmly together.

The blonde jinchuriki eventually finished talking and collapsed onto Sakura's cushion.

"We need to notify Tsunade-sama," Sakura whispered, letting Sasuke's head slide off her lap as she stood. Steps dead and graceless, she crossed the room and slid out the front door. Sasuke followed after her, still in shock.

The Hokage's office was covered in papers, and Pakun sat in the middle of the desk, eyeing one of the scrolls on the other side of the room. When Sakura and Sasuke entered, the small dog averted its eyes to speak to them.

"Tsunade is in the operating room right now. An Anbu squad came back with severe injuries, and the hospital is understaffed. Sakura, you should head over to help. Sasuke, go fetch Hinata and Naruto. Tsunade wants them here when she returns." The pink haired kunoichi nodded, and left, Sasuke trailing along behind her.

Sakura strode into the hospital, ready for whatever came her way. Since everything that could go wrong had, she had nothing to worry about. She pulled her lab coat off her chair and walked off down the hall, not bothering to greet the nurse at the desk.

The operating room smelled like blood and sterilizer. Tsunade was hunched over a dark haired ninja, who had several deep wounds in his stomach. Blood was splattered all over the floor, and jars of medical herbs were strewn all over the place. Tsunade didn't bother looking up to bark out orders to Sakura.

"Make an antidote," she commanded, shoving a glass vile into Sakura's hands. "I don't have enough time here." Sakura obeyed Tsunade's orders, immediately setting to work on finding the herbs she needed.

This poison wasn't new, but the antidote had to be made and administered within twenty four hours, or it would expire. She flitted about the room, collecting the proper jars, and dumped them onto a lab table. Pulling a pair of latex gloves over her hands, Sakura began on her tedious project.

Four hours later, an exhausted and drained Tsunade sat, drinking sake while planning her next move. Sasuke hadn't moved from his place on the tan sofa, Sakura was seated next to him. Naruto and Hinata were seated on the opposite wall. Tsunade drained the last of her sake and got to her feet.

"Hinata, this is your choice. You may go on this mission if you wish to." Naruto began to argue but was quickly silenced by the deadly scowl on Tsunade's face.

"I'll go," the heiress replied. "Naruto, I know you don't want me to go on this mission, but I have to," she stated sympathetically. "It's as much my duty as it is yours." Naruto's face twisted in agony, but he nodded to his wife.

"Very well," Tsunade said. "You four will leave in the morning. This is a retrieval mission, so you are to avoid any unnecessary combat. Is this understood? I trust that you will be able to accomplish this mission. Dismissed."

Akio strolled into room 187. "Listen to me if you don't want to die," he breathed. "You have to do exactly what I tell you to do, or none of this will work, got it?" The pale Uchiha's expression portrayed puzzlement, but she nodded back. Akio let out the breath he was holding and began to speak again. "Do you know how to use a transformation jutsu?" Hanako nodded. "Tomorrow morning, disguise yourself and go down to room 509. You know where that is, right?" The raven haired child nodded. "If you run into anyone on your way down, you are to tell them that you are headed to the scroll room, because Akio sent you. Are you following me?"

"Hai," she replied.

"On the south wall of room 509, there is a bookcase. Slide that out of the way, but be careful not to make a sound. Behind it, there's a passageway. It will take you across the border to the fire territory. Go back to the leaf village and hurry. Got it?"

"Why are you telling me this?" She asked.

"Your father and I go back a while," he murmured. "I owe him as much."

"You know Daddy?" Hanako inquired.

"He's my brother, but he thinks I'm dead. You're not to tell anyone about anything I just told you, and that includes anything about Sasuke. Is this clear?"

"My father only had one brother, and he died in combat," she hissed.

"Is that what he told you? When is that coward ever going to stop telling lies," he mused. "No, I'm not dead. I'd like to explain this to you, but I can't right now. It's too risky, and the entire thing is completely mental anyways. I promise to tell you after this mess is over."

"It's a trap. You're going to let them kill me!"

"Like hell I will. If I wanted you dead, I could have done that myself."

"If I get caught, they'll kill me," she retaliated. _Damn, this girl is exactly like Sasuke_.

"Over my dead body. Nothing is going to touch you. I promise you, this is all going to work out. You'll see." Then he smiled and walked out of the room, leaving the key on Hanako's bed.

* * *

** I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. It took a lot of time and youthful energy out of me. If you catch a mistake, feel free to hound me on it with all of your youthful passion. **

**Is Akio really Itachi? Will Hanako come out of this safe?**

**Neji: You sound like you're the narrarator of one of a soap opera. **

**Me: Oh well! Go away! This space is for the author to talk, NOT YOU!**

**Review! Review! Review! **

**I know you people read this. I also know that you ignore it! DO NOT IGNORE! MUST HAVE FEEDBACK!**

**Look guys, I'm trying to write a novel, and I need you to tell me what I do well and what I need to work on**.

Thank you to my past reviewers. I have tried to follow your advice and tips!

Thanks to everyone who reads this!


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